Tempting Meredith Page 10

  Stop? God, she’d kill him if he did. Well, maybe not him, but someone would die. Possibly a grad student with lousy timing.

  She tightened her legs and ground against him. The position was flawless, stimulating her clit. She wanted to wrap her arms around him, but they were still trapped. Her breathing became ragged, and she no longer cared about Darrell.

  “Next time, we’ll leave the door unlocked,” he murmured.

  He could leave it open. She didn’t give a damn as long as he finished what he’d started. Her head dropped back, and she focused on their joining, breathing into it as he thrust. He picked up speed. Her breasts bounced against his chest, abrading her nipples.

  Just. That. Close.

  Harsh breaths and pounding hearts overrode all other sounds. The ticklish coil of pleasure overcame common sense. She shattered and lurched forward. She dragged her lips along his throat, his jaw, craving his taste as her muscles clamped and released his cock. And then he was pulsing inside her, fluttering like a bird’s wings against her inner walls, extending her orgasm as she gasped for air.

  “Damn,” he said. His cock slid out, still turgid. He made sure she wouldn’t slip off the desk then removed the condom, wrapped it in some tissues from her desk and tossed it in the black metal trash can behind her chair. Leaning over her again, he tugged her shirt and jacket back in place, freeing her hands. Then he presented her with his back, facing the wall while he quickly put his clothes back together.

  It was right. It was what she wanted. No cuddling. No words of love. It was the perfect fuck. It pissed her off that she felt so bereft. Not empty, exactly. But there was a hole. Something was missing.

  To cover her confusion, she stood to let her skirt fall in place. She fastened her bra and then buttoned her shirt. She touched her hair, hoping it was presentable. The bun wasn’t as tight, but she didn’t have a mirror in her office. She’d have to duck into the ladies’ room. Fortunately the jacket covered the water spot on her skirt.

  When she was finished dressing, Charlie had restored his own clothes and looked as good as he had when he’d been leaning against her door. She wanted to see some of the fluster that unbalanced her and threw her off her axis.

  He picked up her panties from the floor and extended them to her. She’d forgotten them. Wadding them in her hand, she debated whether to put them on or stuff them in her desk drawer. She didn’t relish dressing in front of him. Ridiculous, considering what she’d just done. She opened the right hand drawer of her desk and squirreled them away.

  Now what? What should she say? Thanks for a great orgasm. Her hands searched for someplace to land. First her hips, but that seemed too aggressive. Then crossed defensively over her waist. Too wimpy. She rested her fingertips on top of her desk, but that wasn’t substantial enough. Finally, she clasped her hands together and chewed her bottom lip.

  In the awkward silence, Charlie unlocked the door. “I’ll see you later.”

  Her heart jumped, and her mouth opened in protest but closed without a sound. She wanted to ask him to stay. But why?

  She glimpsed Rae across the hall. Her boss was standing just outside her office. When Meredith caught her gaze, Rae smiled in approval. Great. Just great. Perfect.

  Wait. Rae would see that her protégé had a social life. This was great.

  “Hang on a sec,” Meredith said hurriedly. She was going to milk this. “I’ll walk you out.” She crossed the office to the door and rested her hand on Charlie’s upper arm. He raised his brows in surprise, but she didn’t explain. She guided him across the hall until they stood in front of her boss. “Charlie, I’d like you to meet Rae Peters. She’s the head of the physics department. Rae, this is Charlie Connor.”

  Rae extended her hand to Charlie, and her smile grew even bigger. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Charlie.”

  As Charlie shook her hand, his good ole boy drawl deepened. “Thank you, ma’am, but the pleasure’s all mine.”

  Meredith didn’t know who was more pleased, Rae or Charlie. If either one of them smiled any bigger, their faces would split in two, which seriously annoyed her. She could understand Rae’s reaction. After all, the woman had instructed her to get a life, and the introduction of Charlie meant that Meredith had done just that. But why was Charlie so happy?

  Oh, yeah. He’d just gotten laid.

  Meredith should be just as happy. More so. Charlie had given her exactly what she wanted, what she’d asked for. A no-strings fuck. But that meant no dinner with him tonight. Damn it. She wanted dinner with Charlie.

  So just ask him. It is, after all, the twenty-first century.

  But she couldn’t force the words past her pride. She walked him out the front of the building and squinted against the sunlight. “It was nice to see you again.”

  Charlie’s grin warmed her more thoroughly than the spring day. “Nice? I was hoping for better than that. Guess I’ll have to try harder next time.” Then he sauntered to the parking lot.

  Chapter Eight

  Saturday midmorning, Meredith and Nikki engaged in some serious retail therapy at one of their favorite shops on Congress, Gaudy Gals. Meredith tried on clothes, and Nikki checked out the jewelry, since the store didn’t carry maternity clothes. Two hours and three bags later, they plopped down in the pastry shop next door.

  When Nikki only ordered something to drink, Meredith began to worry. The beginning of Nikki’s pregnancy had been tough. She’d lost weight instead of gaining. Now that the morning sickness was over, her sister should be taking advantage of every opportunity to feed herself and the baby.

  “What’s wrong?” Meredith asked.

  “Nothing. Why?”

  “You didn’t order a croissant.”

  Nikki sighed and rubbed her belly, which was now the size of a volleyball. “If I eat I have trouble breathing.”

  Meredith tried to keep the alarm from her voice, but her stomach lurched sickeningly, and her heart skipped a beat before making up for it by racing ahead of her thoughts. “That’s not normal.” Despite the eight-year difference in their ages, looking at Nikki was almost like looking in a mirror. Long, curly blond hair, blue eyes, a heart-shaped face. She was afraid those similarities extended to labor and delivery.

  “It is for some women.”

  Nikki’s nonchalant attitude bothered her almost as much as the fact that her sister couldn’t eat and breathe at the same time. In college, Meredith had researched Nikki’s condition. Difficulty breathing was a symptom of congenital heart defects. Fear numbed her mind so she could only state the obvious. “But you have to breathe.”

  “That’s why I’m not eating a croissant.”

  “You have to eat, too.”

  “I do. At home, where I can stretch out and make room for my lungs and my stomach and Jake Junior. It’s nothing to worry about. Look at me. Do I look like I’m malnourished?”

  “You’re sure it’s normal? Did you talk to the doctors about it?” She had two—an OB who specialized in high-risk pregnancies and a cardiologist.

  Nikki rolled her eyes. “Yes. I asked my doctors. And Jake asked my doctors. Then Jake called Tony and asked him.”

  Tony Adamo was one of Jake’s best friends, one third of the three musketeers, which included Mark Allen. The three men had bonded in sixth grade homeroom. They lived in different states now, but they were still close. Even though Tony was a pediatric surgeon, he’d done a rotation in obstetrics. “What did Tony say?”

  “That he didn’t know enough about obstetrics to speak with authority, but he suspected my doctor was right. When Jake pressed him, Tony said he’d ask some of his OB and cardiologist colleagues.”

  “You sound annoyed.”

  “I’m tired of you and Jake treating me like an invalid.”

  “What about Landon?” No way was she letting t
heir brother off the hook.

  “I don’t see him that often. Besides, he’s not nearly as bad as you and my dear husband.”

  Meredith almost said, “I’m sorry.” But she wasn’t. At least, not for worrying. She was sorry Nikki was pregnant, sorry her sister was risking her life, but she wasn’t sorry for worrying.

  Meredith could tell from Nikki’s tortured expression that she wanted to bring up the elephant they’d been avoiding since Nikki had announced her pregnancy. Meredith dreaded the discussion, but they needed to have it. They’d been dancing around it for six months. The music was about to stop and the dance along with it.

  Nikki’s eyes watered as she cleared her throat. “I understand that you’re afraid because of what happened to you, but you got through it.”

  Tears pricked Meredith’s eyes, and her throat closed up trying to contain them. The ache that began in her heart spread throughout her chest until she had to wrap her arms around her waist to contain it. Didn’t help that Mother’s Day was next weekend.

  “I almost died,” Meredith said through gritted teeth. “I almost bled to death.”

  “I know. I was there.” Nikki closed her eyes, but her voice was anguished. “I thought I was gonna lose you.”

  “Then you understand how I feel about—” Her tears choked off the rest of the sentence. Meredith tried to regain control of her emotions in the silence that followed. Emotions were nasty things, especially that one called love. It caused nothing but pain. Unfortunately, she’d loved her sister for as long as she could remember. Probably since birth. And once you loved someone, truly loved someone, you were stuck. You couldn’t unlove the person. She’d tried with her daughter. She’d even tried not to get attached. It had been impossible.

  “You were young,” Nikki said gently.

  Was she attempting to explain the adoption or the postpartum hemorrhaging? It didn’t matter. This wasn’t about her pregnancy. That was over and done. This was about Nikki’s pregnancy. “I didn’t have a heart condition,” Meredith countered, keeping her tone reasonable when she wanted to scream what was so obvious.

  “I am not an invalid,” Nikki said fiercely.

  Meredith’s mind shouted, You have a congenital heart defect! But upsetting Nikki wouldn’t help. Instead, she took a deep breath and slowly blew it out. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to treat you that way. It’s my problem. Not yours. I’m sure everything will be fine.” Of course, she didn’t believe that, but it was what Nikki wanted to hear. Upsetting her sister wouldn’t help. And really, what could she do at this point? It was May. The baby was due in July. An abortion at this stage would be as risky as a full-term birth. Besides which, Nikki wouldn’t be any more inclined to go through an abortion than Meredith had been. Meredith just hoped the birth would be uneventful and Nikki would be satisfied with one child.

  It was time to clear the air, accept Nikki’s decision, share in her sister’s excitement and joy. Meredith forced a smile. “Except...”

  “What? Except what?” Nikki asked, clearly irritated.

  She tried to lighten the mood. “There is no way in hell that big ol’ baby is gonna come out of your itty-bitty body. You’re gonna have to carry it around the rest of your life.”

  Nikki leaned back, rested her hands on her belly, and chuckled. “Now that, dear sister, is a legitimate concern.”

  Nikki talked about the nursery and some clothes and toys she’d picked up for the baby. They discussed Landon and his new boyfriend. Nikki hoped they’d make the relationship permanent. Meredith just hoped her brother didn’t get hurt. She liked Ty and didn’t believe he’d intentionally screw Landon, but what did she know? Her history with men wasn’t the best. Not every relationship ended in the toilet. Intellectually, she knew that. Witness her parents and Nikki and Jake. Not to mention statistics. Empirical evidence trumped anecdotal. But she couldn’t dismiss her own experience. It was an irrational fear, one she couldn’t get past.

  As if reading her mind, Nikki said, “I know you’ll never forget what Dylan did to you. But there are a lot of decent men out there. I wish you’d give one of them a chance. You’ve given him too much power over your happiness.”

  “I date,” she said defensively. “I had a date Monday night.”

  Nikki straightened from her baby slouch. “And?”

  “And he was sweet.” It was the truth. Hopefully it would be just enough information to appease Nikki.

  “And?”

  “And what?”

  “Oh, come on. I want more details than how he tastes.”

  “I didn’t mean—” Nikki’s teasing grin stopped her. It was Meredith’s own fault. There’d been a time when she’d taken everything literally.

  “Details.”

  “It was just one date, and we didn’t trade autobiographies.”

  “Where did you meet?”

  Meredith sighed, resigned. “He was the instructor for that firearms safety class I took.”

  Nikki giggled. “You mean I have Jake and that gun to thank for playing matchmaker?”

  “We’ve only been out once.” Because she was almost certain yesterday’s office fuck didn’t count as a date.

  “You’re going out again. Right? You obviously like him.”

  “Maybe.” Meredith dropped her gaze to the table. “If he asks me.”

  “You were always a lousy liar. He’s already asked you, hasn’t he?”

  Meredith shrugged and rubbed her thumb along a scratch in the tabletop. Yes, he’d asked, and she already regretted brushing him off.

  “And you said no, didn’t you?”

  “No. I told him I’d have to check my calendar.” It was true. He just hadn’t followed up with her. Not about dinner anyway. He was doing exactly what she’d asked him to do.

  Nikki drummed her fingers on her belly. “You said he was sweet. Does that mean there wasn’t any chemistry?”

  “Y—” She stopped herself. She hated to give Nikki any more ammunition, but her sister would recognize the lie. “No.”

  “But...”

  She scrambled to find something wrong with him. But he was fucking perfect. Hot, check. Sweet, check. Sense of humor, check. Smart, check. Not college-educated, but he had an innate intelligence that intrigued her. Employed, check. Sexy, check, check, check. Okay, so hot and sexy were the same thing, but it was worth repeating. There had to be something. And then it came to her. “I didn’t ask, but I’m almost positive he’s a Republican.”

  Nikki laughed so hard Meredith was afraid the baby was going to burst out of its tight cocoon. Meredith held her breath and, knowing she was being ridiculous, leaned forward to catch the little brat when Nikki expelled him.

  Finally, her sister calmed down enough to wipe her eyes. “Convert him.”

  “Like that worked for you,” Meredith said sarcastically.

  “Hey, Jake’s coming around.”

  Meredith snorted. “Yeah. Right.”

  “It’s not so bad.” Nikki grinned and shrugged. “We argue, and then we have phenomenal make-up sex.”

  “TMI,” Meredith warned.

  “Oh, come on. You didn’t believe Jake Junior was immaculately conceived?”

  She groaned. “I really hadn’t given it any thought at all...until just this moment.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Can you wait until we’ve had a third date to discuss this? Third time’s the charm.”

  “Bring him by the house next Sunday. We’ll grill.”

  More like drill. “Are you freaking kidding me? I thought you wanted to encourage the relationship. Not scare him away.”

  Nikki chewed on her lip. “You’re right. It’s too soon. But I’d like to check him out.”

  “Tell you what. Give it a few months. If we’re still dating, I�
�ll bring him to meet you.” Safe enough. Her relationships never lasted that long.

  Nikki stopped tapping her fingers on her baby bulge, and her expression became pensive. “A few is such an arbitrary number. How about two months?”

  “Three,” Meredith countered.

  “Okay,” Nikki said slowly. “I’ll plan on it.”

  That had been too easy. Or maybe not. Nikki’s hormones had been playing havoc with her personality. Maybe this acceptance was another symptom of pregnancy. Didn’t matter. Meredith had been granted a reprieve, and she’d damn well take it.

  Her phone buzzed, and she dug it out of her purse to turn it off. But the number on the display stopped her. She stared at it. Blinked. Blinked again.

  “What’s wrong?” Nikki asked.

  Meredith shook her head. “Nothing. Just trying to place the number.” The call went to voice mail, and she shoved the cell back in her purse. But as she and Nikki fell back into conversation, she kept glancing at her purse and wondering why he was calling. A date? A hookup? Had he left a message?

  She might have driven a smidgen over the speed limit after dropping off Nikki. Might have rolled through a few stop signs and orange lights on her way home. Her fingers fumbled the keys in the lock on her front door, frustrating her, making her short-tempered.

  She dropped her purse on the table by the door and dug out her cell phone. She connected to voice mail and made her way to the sofa, tripping over Huggins as the cat traced a figure eight around her ankles. She took a deep breath then slowly blew it out of her mouth, disturbing a long, curly strand that had fallen over one eye.

  She punched in her security code and waited. She was holding her breath when the familiar voice said, “Hey, Doc. Why don’t you come by for dinner tonight? I’m grilling.”

  She couldn’t help the lurch of her heart and the small, upward curve of her lips.

  * * *

  When Charlie opened his front door to Meredith a few hours later, she was wearing a colorful flowing skirt and a pale, orangey pink top held up with thin straps that tied at her shoulders. The way her breasts jiggled told him she wasn’t wearing a bra, and his mouth watered at the thought of her dusty pink nipples so available. His fingers itched to release the neatly tied bows so he could look his fill. Instead, he leaned over to give her a quick kiss. She smelled good, like piña coladas. Yeah, he’d consumed his share of umbrella drinks over the years—without the umbrellas, of course—and sometimes even preferred them over beer. Blaine gave him hell about it, but he didn’t refuse ’em when Charlie whipped up a batch.